HP Proliant 110 G9 Change RAID Config.

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EcosseTech

24 posts

Geek

#274500 25-Aug-2020 16:30

Hi team,

Hope all are doing well during this current pandemic! Nice being in Whangarei being a little more isolated from Auckland..
We just got a HP ML110 G9 with Server 2019 in the office intended as a domain controller and file server.
The machine came with RAID 0 Configured with 2x2TB drives. This won't work for our office as we need redundancy.
I understand you cannot expand a RAID 0 array at all. I need to delete it and rebuild with RAID 1 as it stands or RAID 5 if I get another 2 disks..

Quick question regarding the HP Smart Storage Admin 2.6.0.18.0..

Can I configure Raid 5 with 2 disks then add the other 4 later and it should expand OK?
Is there anyway to salvage my current installed OS with Genuine key? I understand you cannot convert a RAID 0 to RAID 1...
If I can get my Key out of the OS then I won't have an issue but I do not have a copy of the key as it is a used server.. God knows who configures a server for enterprise use with RAID 0...

Thank you, Any insight is valuable..

Dynamic

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#2549619 25-Aug-2020 18:04

If you bought it new and someone supplied it to you like this, I'd send it back to them and tell them to do it again, but do it right this time! RAID5 requires a minimum of 3 drives. Consider buying the additional 2 drives now and doing a RAID10, which will give you 4Tb of usable space. I believe you should be able to add 2 drives and migrate from a RAID0 to a RAID01 (RAID 0+1) to give fault tolerance around a single drive failure.

Have a look at this article and see if it helps you: https://community.hpe.com/hpeb/attachments/hpeb/itrc-264/37349/1/182251.pdf

RAID expansions are common, but RAID level migrations are done very rarely, so there may not be a lot of information on this. I can't find an article that I believe I saw years ago on HPE RAID level migrations.

These two articles may also help:

https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=c00215212

https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=c01914706&docLocale=en_US

I've never tried to recover the product key from Server 2019. Has the person who sold you the server not supplied this? Was it supposed to be a new server?

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bagheera

539 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2549642 25-Aug-2020 19:27

never tried to get a key out of windows 2019, but be aware that lot of ml110 are sold with HPE rok license, and you need a rok cd to reinstall, normal windows 2019 iso will not work

https://community.hpe.com/t5/alliances/what-is-rok-hpe-oem-microsoft-windows-server-reseller-option-kit/ba-p/6972766

and shot whoever installed a raid 0 - you never do this on a server, only time I ever done this in test where I need the space but the server was only around for a week and if the drive die, I start again, it was to prove something before pay money for space.

EcosseTech

24 posts

Geek

#2549719 26-Aug-2020 08:16

This server was purchased from TM, A guy on there called Frank, Fedora55 or something..
I am not too sure if he configured it and used it and now is selling it on or jsut got an ex lease and listed it for profit, weird config for sure..
This machine doesn't have a CD Drive so I will need to look into that ROK option and use a USB CD drive?
I will see what his email reply is to me today..

1101

3122 posts

Uber Geek

#2549895 26-Aug-2020 11:30

Is you Server OS actually activated ( dont assume it is )?
HPE rok license should have a COA sticker with a install key (and disks) . Dosesnt sound like thats what you have .

If you cant get the original lic key (could be a real issue in the future)...
1 option is to make an image of your current Server2019 install
Then reconfigure RAID, recover Server OS from the backup image

Unfortunately , some backup/imaging software will only restore to a ~drive~ the same size or bigger , your new RAID1 will be 1/2 the size .
I would do a test restore to a spare 1Tb drive (can you add a cheap desktop SATA to test restore to ?) , before wiping the original drives .

Dynamic

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#2549896 26-Aug-2020 11:32

If the server was sold with Server 2019, the seller should be able to produce the license key and media for repairing/reinstalling the sever. Ask them for both, or consider rejecting it.

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EcosseTech

24 posts

Geek

#2550470 27-Aug-2020 08:46

1101:

Is you Server OS actually activated ( dont assume it is )?
HPE rok license should have a COA sticker with a install key (and disks) . Dosesnt sound like thats what you have .

If you cant get the original lic key (could be a real issue in the future)...
1 option is to make an image of your current Server2019 install
Then reconfigure RAID, recover Server OS from the backup image

Unfortunately , some backup/imaging software will only restore to a ~drive~ the same size or bigger , your new RAID1 will be 1/2 the size .
I would do a test restore to a spare 1Tb drive (can you add a cheap desktop SATA to test restore to ?) , before wiping the original drives .

Hi,

Yes Windows is activated. You mean windows - not something to do with HPE?
I have scraped the CD Key with Jellybean and it comes back as genuine. It suggests its a "Full package Product" so its a key from some website like G2A you bet. Not an OEM or a Volume key.
Would be nice if the seller communicated a little better like his reviews suggest they do. It is very apparent he is just re listing ex lease stuff from HGH.
Fedora5 on trademe.

Now to re image this server.. Should I use a Windows PE environment and Macrium Reflect? I will take an image with macrium today and see if it will be the size of the install rather than the drive size.
Would I be fine to just use a windows install on a USB drive otherwise? I would need to use the evaluation version then upgrade it..

Cheers

Andib

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#2550485 27-Aug-2020 09:20

EcosseTech:

Yes Windows is activated. You mean windows - not something to do with HPE?
I have scraped the CD Key with Jellybean and it comes back as genuine. It suggests its a "Full package Product" so its a key from some website like G2A you bet. Not an OEM or a Volume key.

Without a valid COA or relevant licence docs I would be hesitant using that licence for business use. Just because Windows is activated doesn't mean it's correctly licenced and may cause issues if you go through a MS audit. A key "Full package Product" means either they purchased Server 2019 retail and should have the COA / media or some form of proof of purchase (it's only 2~ years old) or they've used the likes of G2A which is more likely than not an MSDN Retail key that's not for production use.

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EcosseTech

24 posts

Geek

#2550498 27-Aug-2020 09:40

Andib:

EcosseTech:

Yes Windows is activated. You mean windows - not something to do with HPE?
I have scraped the CD Key with Jellybean and it comes back as genuine. It suggests its a "Full package Product" so its a key from some website like G2A you bet. Not an OEM or a Volume key.

Without a valid COA or relevant licence docs I would be hesitant using that licence for business use. Just because Windows is activated doesn't mean it's correctly licenced and may cause issues if you go through a MS audit. A key "Full package Product" means either they purchased Server 2019 retail and should have the COA / media or some form of proof of purchase (it's only 2~ years old) or they've used the likes of G2A which is more likely than not an MSDN Retail key that's not for production use.

I do suspect the key is of G2A origin, Hence why its a FPP key on a machine that should have an OEM COA.. Checked the HPE website with the serial and I do not think this machine was sold with a Windows key, suspect it was used for linux?
I will delete the Array now and rebuild it as RAID1 and in the future 1+0.. Should be easy to restore windows afterwards with they key Jellybean gave me and a USB flash drive..